Everyone deserves access to quality, livable housing they can afford.

We know Victorians are doing it tough, and for the 1 in 3 Victorians who are renting, they are doing it tougher than most – staring down the barrel of overpriced, substandard housing for the foreseeable future.

And let’s not forget the 30,000 Victorians who spend each night sleeping rough, in cars, on couches and in overcrowded houses. For them, the options have simply run out.

We have a responsibility to make sure every person in Victoria has access to safe, affordable, healthy housing where they can live, take care of their families and put down roots in their wider communities.

We are a long way from achieving that, but we can and must make some urgent decisions to stop this housing crisis from getting any worse.

I’ve heard firsthand from people across Western Victoria who are struggling to keep up with costly rent and interest hikes, and it’s seriously impacting their lives. 

The rates of homelessness are going up, and we know businesses and service providers are also struggling to find workers because there is nowhere for them to live.

Labor recently announced its housing plan and have clearly abandoned the thousands of Victorian renters who are suffering unfair rent rises.

At the last state election, Labor had no plan for renters, but now, because of grassroots campaigning and pressure from the Greens, Labor was forced to admit that they can’t ignore renters any longer. Their recent announcement included some hard-fought Greens’ policies such as banning rental bidding, a new dispute resolution body and strengthening data privacy.

But let’s make this very clear: under Labor’s plan, renters can still be hit with unlimited rent increases. Without an urgent rent freeze and ongoing rent caps renters will continue to suffer.

We’ll continue to fight hard to make sure the voices of renters and those experiencing homelessness are at the frontline of the housing crisis as we push for urgent political action.

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